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DEMONTFORT UNIVERSITY ASKS ITS STUDENTS TO HELP CURE BLOOD CANCER

DMU is holding a recruitment event on campus where students will have the opportunity to join the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register. The event forms part of the DMU’s Mile2 (Square Mile) Project, a community-focused campaign designed to help improve the lives of local residents.DMU are also working with Rik Basra Leukaemia Campaign and blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan, who run the UK register of bone marrow donors.

Anthony Nolan use their register to match bone marrow donors to blood cancer patients in desperate need of a lifesaving bone marrow transplant. Rik Basra, a local police inspector who founded the Rik Basra Leukaemia Campaign after he was diagnosed with the disease in 2009, says, “A bone marrow transplant can be the last chance of survival for someone with blood cancer like leukaemia – but I know from experience that it can be incredibly hard to find a matching bone marrow donor. Younger donors are the most likely to be chosen to donate by transplant centres, so being able to recruit the DMU students is a fantastic opportunity for us.”

Mile2 manager Mark Charlton said: "Part of our work at DMU is to demonstrate the university as public good. This event could be potentially life-saving for someone. Our students understand the importance of this and have worked tirelessly towards creating a stem cell register. Furthermore we have been able to utilise the skills of the students studying in our Health and Life Sciences faculty and marketing and media degrees. They have led everything from setting up the event, promoting it, administration and the collection of the saliva samples for use by Anthony Nolan. The Mile2 project is about sharing the best of DMU with the community, and for that reason we hope the people of Leicester will also join our students and become part of our register on March 19."

Rory Palmer, Deputy Mayor for Leicester, comments, “We have supported Rik’s campaign since the moment we heard about it. Rik is living proof that being on the bone marrow register can save lives, so I would encourage everyone who’s eligible to join to come forward and sign up on 19th March.”

The Rik Basra Leukaemia Campaign and Anthony Nolan will also be holding a recruitment event at Regent College on 26th April.